Forest giant squirrel

Last updated

Forest giant squirrel
African giant squirrel.jpg
South Nandi Forest, Kenya
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Protoxerus
Species:
P. stangeri
Binomial name
Protoxerus stangeri
(Waterhouse, 1842)
Subspecies [2]
  • P. s. stangeri
  • P. s. bea
  • P. s. centricola
  • P. s. cooperi
  • P. s. eborivorus
  • P. s. kabobo
  • P. s. kwango
  • P. s. loandae
  • P. s. nigeriae
  • P. s. personatus
  • P. s. signatus
  • P. s. temminckii

The forest giant squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri) or Stanger's squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and plantations.

Contents

Description

The forest giant squirrel is the largest arboreal squirrel in Africa with a head-and-body length of around 300 mm (12 in) and a bushy tail of a similar length. The head is large and rounded with powerful cheek muscles. The brownish hairs on the top of the head and on the nape are tipped with white giving a frosted appearance. The ears are small, rounded and almost hairless. The body colouring is rather variable across the animal's wide range. The fur is short and stiff; the upper parts are medium brown grizzled with buff or yellow, the individual hairs having black bases, yellow or buff shafts and black tips. The chest is white and the underparts are almost hairless showing the yellowish skin. The limbs are compact and strong. The tail is long and bushy and the black and white barring is sometimes not clearly visible. When the animal is moving around, the tail is held horizontally, but when it is stationary, the tail hangs down. [3]

Distribution and habitat

The forest giant squirrel is native to tropical western and central Africa. Its range extends from Sierra Leone to western Kenya, and southwards to northern Angola and northern Tanzania. It is a lowland species with a maximum altitudinal limit of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It occurs in primary forest, secondary forest and fringing forest as well as plantations and agricultural land and gardens with trees. It is normally found in the upper layers of the canopy, only occasionally descending to ground level. [1] [4]

Ecology

The forest giant squirrel is solitary and diurnal. It forages primarily for the fruits and seeds of trees and lianas; it can crack open the tough nuts of Panda oleosa , Coula edulis , Klainedoxa gabonensis , Elaeis , and Irvingia spp.. The diet also includes some other plant material and a very small proportion of insects. The squirrel has a home range of a few hectares and seems to avoid other squirrels or drive them away from a tree where it is feeding. Vocalisations include two types of alarm calls. This squirrel is preyed on by eagles and other large birds of prey. [3]

The nest is made in a tree cavity with an entrance through which the squirrel can just fit. Nesting material consists of twigs with the green leaves still attached. The squirrel emerges around dawn and returns to the nest many hours later. The reproductive behaviour of this squirrel has not been studied but it usually has litters of one or two young. [3]

The upper side of the tail has broad transverse bars of black and narrow bars of white while the underside has equal-sized longitudinal stripes in black and white. The tail is used for signalling, and when displayed upwards the signal differs from when it is displayed downwards. [5]

Status

The forest giant squirrel is generally not a common species. In some parts of its range it is hunted for bushmeat but in general does not seem to face any particular threats. Habitat destruction is occurring in parts of its range but it seems able to adapt to man-made habitats to some extent and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Twelve subspecies are recognized. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squirrel</span> Family of rodents

Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and flying squirrels. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and were introduced by humans to Australia. The earliest known fossilized squirrels date from the Eocene epoch, and among other living rodent families, the squirrels are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maned rat</span> Species of rodent

The maned rat or (African) crested rat is a nocturnal, long-haired and bushy-tailed East African rodent that superficially resembles a porcupine. The world's only venomous rodent, the maned rat borrows toxins from plants to fend off predators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-bellied yellow bat</span> Species of bat

The white-bellied yellow bat or white-bellied house bat, is a species of vesper bat in the genus Scotophilus, the house bats. It can be found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. It is found in dry and moist savanna and open woodland. It is a common species with a very wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The montane hylomyscus or montane wood mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. A long-coated species with brownish-grey upper parts and whitish-grey underparts, it occurs in the uplands of tropical Central Africa where its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests.

The Mount Oku hylomyscus is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. Found only on Mount Oku, Cameroon, in tropical Central Africa, its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests. It has a very small range and is threatened by habitat destruction, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "critically endangered".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser spot-nosed monkey</span> Species of Old World monkey

The lesser spot-nosed monkey, also known as the lesser spot-nosed guenon, lesser white-nosed guenon, or lesser white-nosed monkey, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Guinea-Bissau, and possibly Senegal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant's bushbaby</span> Species of primate

Grant's bushbaby, also known as Grant's lesser bushbaby or the Mozambique lesser bushbaby, is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Thomas's rope squirrel or redless tree squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Burton's rope squirrel</span> Species of rodent native to central Africa

The Lady Burton's rope squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is a common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".

Kellen's dormouse is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is native to tropical Africa where its range extends from the Gambia and Senegal to Kenya and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, and moist or dry savannah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland dormouse</span> Species of rodent

The woodland dormouse is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is native to southern and eastern Africa and is also known as the African dormouse, African dwarf dormouse, African pygmy dormouse, or colloquially as micro squirrel. Found in limited numbers in the pet trade, it has complicated care requirements compared to other pet rodents. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical, moist montane forests and rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambian sun squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The Gambian sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is wooded savanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-legged sun squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The red-legged sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, also commonly known as the isabelline red-legged sun squirrel. It is native to tropical western and central Africa where its range extends from Senegal in the west, through Nigeria and the Republic of Congo to Uganda and Tanzania in the east. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and moist savanna. This species is thought to be common and has a very wide distribution, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanj sun squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The Zanj sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in eastern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santander dwarf squirrel</span> Species of squirrel

The Santander dwarf squirrel is a small tree squirrel endemic to Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander's bush squirrel</span> Species of rodent

Alexander's bush squirrel is a species of squirrel native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It is arboreal and lives in tropical moist forests, especially undisturbed mature forests. It is a common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern". Its common name and Latin binomial commemorate Lieutenant Boyd Alexander, a British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red bush squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The red bush squirrel or red-bellied coast squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, which is found in bush and forest along the eastern seaboard of Africa. It is closely related to P. lucifer, P. vexillarius and P. (p.) vincenti.

The slender-tailed squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black giant squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The black giant squirrel or Malayan giant squirrel is a large tree squirrel in the genus Ratufa native to the Indomalayan zootope. It is found in forests from northern Bangladesh, northeast India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan, southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, West Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and western Indonesia.

The ring-tailed ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the Pacific coast region of central Mexico. It is a common species and feeds mainly on fruits and nuts. The IUCN has assessed it as being of "least concern".

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Protoxerus stangeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T18386A115143054. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T18386A22252711.en .
  2. Thorington, R.W. Jr.; Hoffmann, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 754–818. ISBN   0-8018-8221-4. OCLC   26158608.
  3. 1 2 3 Kingdon et al. 2013, pp.  89–91.
  4. 1 2 Thorington et al. 2012, p.  247.
  5. Kingdon et al. 2013, p.  115.

Bibliography